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This fanfiction is based on a true story/true screenshot - convince yourself 😉
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„Sash, my PC is bwoken again. Can I use your Laptop?” The young Argentine could hear his flat-mate from their living room. Instantly a smile popped onto his lips and in disbelief he shook his head and rolled his eyes. “What a surprise!” He answered sarcastic, before he added “Sure.”
Still amused about that his friend’s PC was broken once again and the way he said broken, caused Sacha to giggle to himself. It really wasn’t nothing new that Lando’s PC did break. It actually happened at least once every day.
But on that day, when they had actually wanted to play PUBG the whole afternoon long, his PC broke even four times and by the last time Lando was already so frustrated, annoyed and also tired about it, that he pronounced a w instead of an r by the word broken.
Even when that whole afternoon was a disaster, the two friends still had to laugh about that so badly till teardrops were running down their faces and their bellies did hurt from laughing so much. Since that day it was their insider joke and always brought a smile on their lips, whenever they pronounced the word like that.
Sacha was currently cooking their dinner, some chicken shawarma. After they had moved in here together, they had quickly agreed to that the young Argentine will take over the cooking, while Lando was doing most of the housework. Not because Sacha was better at cooking, but when he looked at their statistics, he did burn himself way less than his friend and he was also able to pronounce their meals correctly.
He had just wanted to put the chicken into the pan, when he heard his flat-mate once again. But Sacha was only able to catch his own name, the rest he hadn’t heard because he was handling with some plates and the sound was too loud to understand Lando in the next room.
“Yeah? Didn’t hear you.” Sacha told him and waited all quietly for his answer. But it didn’t come, Lando kept quiet. Maybe now he hadn’t heard him. So the young Argentine went into the living room, where his friend was sitting on their couch, showing him his back.
Sacha just wanted to ask him once more why he had called after him, when he saw what Lando was doing on his Laptop and he frozen instantly. The young Brit must have noticed his flat-mate’s presence behind him, because slowly he turned around and looked confused up at him.
But all Sacha could do was staring at the bright screen with painful widened eyes and an in shock opened mouth. Only when Lando said his name once again, he took his eyes away from the screen and looked at his friend’s expression.
“Why do you have a folder full of pictures of me?” He wanted to know, but he never got an answer. Sacha didn’t know what he should say and he also knew it was very childish, but all what he could do was running away. Running away from this situation, running away from giving an answer, running away from his friend.
“Sash?” He could hear Lando, while he was already by the stairs and ran as fast as possible upstairs into the safety of his room. The Argentine tipped over his own feet and almost fell by the last few stairs, when he could hear Lando cashing after him.
Just in time he reached his room and shot the door close behind himself. All breathless and still not able to believe what had just happened, he leaned against the door and let his head fall back at it, when Lando reached his room as well and began to knock against the wood.
“Sash, what’s wrong? Please, let me in.” The Brit asked calmly, but behind the door Sacha was shaking his head wildly, while tears did already burn in his eyes and he squeezed his eyelids shot abruptly.
Desperately and ashamed to his bones, he let himself slide down the door, till he reached the floor and he pulled his knees against his chest. “Go away. Please.” He whined almost inaudible.
He didn’t know if Lando had heard him, but at one point he finally gave up with knocking against his door and asking him to finally open it. When Sacha didn’t hear anything any more, he fell to his side so his cheek was pressing against the door, rolled himself together till he was as tiny as possible and pulled the sleeves of his hoddie over his hands till even his fingertips were hidden under it, before he did start to cry bitterly.
He had messed it up, he had messed up just everything. How could he even be so stupid to first call the folder after Lando himself and second why had he let that damn folder on his desktop and didn’t hide it somewhere more safe?
God, he was so damn stupid. Now Lando knew and he was probably already downstairs again and looked through the folder, which was named by himself. He knew it now, he knew everything.
Sacha had a crush, a very, very big crush even, on his flat-mate. His best friend, his childhood friend, the one he called his brother. He had a crush on Lando.
Actually he didn’t even know any more since when he had feelings for him, but it must have been for over one year by now and these feelings were very strong and also pretty intense.
They knew each other already since they were kids, babies actually. Their fathers were working in the same company, were colleagues. Lando’s and Sacha’s mothers did know each other already since school and so it ended up that the two of them had become friends pretty quickly.
Sacha only knew his life with Lando, he was always present. They saw each other almost every day, because the Norris were living just five minutes away from his place. They went together into kindergarten, into school, they did have the same hobbies, liked the same sports, they were just always together.
And as far as Sacha could remember, they had also never fought together. Lando and he were pretty similar. Quiet and shy around stranger or people they didn’t trust enough, but they could have the fun of their lives, when they were together.
They were actually never seen alone, always together. Every weekend Lando was sleeping at his place or vice versa, they helped each other with their homework and simple spend every minute of their childhood together.
So it was actually almost logical when the two of them wanted to go study, it randomly even happened that they both had to go to the same university in London, and they moved into a flat together. In the interest of their mother’s, because they both exactly knew how clumsy the two of them could sometimes be and they were also a little worried about their two little boys moving all alone into the big city.
Since over one year the two of them were already living here together and still they hadn’t fought about anything or couldn’t see each other any more. They still had so much fun together, enjoyed each other’s company, knowing that someone was always there for you, always close, when you needed some support and they will get through this together.
Sacha and Lando did trust each other completely, they had always each other’s backs and also shared their secrets with each other. Almost every secret, expect Sacha’s biggest one, until this evening.
Lando was perfect in Sacha’s eyes. The most adorable and most beautiful human he had ever got to meet. He loved him, he really did with his whole heart, but he had never planned to tell him anything about it, even when it had hurt so much to see him holdings hands with a girl, to see him kissing another girl’s lips and disappearing with another one into his room, exactly knowing what they were going to do and that he won’t ever be that lucky like one of these girls.
Sacha had cried his eyes out already more than once about things like these. He always felt so sick, when he saw the love of his life with someone else. It broke his heart into a million pieces, especially because he knew he won’t ever have a chance by Lando.
He liked girls and not boys and especially not him. Lando wasn’t gay, in contrast to himself. He exactly knew he was, but till now he never had a relationship before. Hell, he hadn’t even kissed yet. He only wanted to kiss Lando, he only wanted to have a relationship with him and especially he only wanted to have sex with him and with no one else. But even when he knew this all wasn’t possible, he still didn’t want to try it with someone else.
Sacha only wanted Lando, because he loved him with his whole heart and he would have been alright with dying as a virgin and taking that secret into his grave, but now his best friend knew the truth.
And it let his whole body shake every time he thought about it that he had ruined everything. It was all over now. Their friendship, their trust, their time together, just everything. Nothing will ever be like before again. Lando will move out of their flat, he probably won’t ever want to have anything to do with him and Sacha won’t ever see him in his life again.
The young Argentine didn’t know since how long he was already sitting like the pile of misery he was on the floor and cried quietly to himself, but it must have been long enough for Lando to get through the whole folder and he probably didn’t even have to get to the very last pic to get it.
It were hundreds of pics. On most of them it was only Lando, but on some pics were both of them. Pics from when they were younger, when they were children. Pics from the holidays they had been together, pics from when they were camping, pics his mother had made when they had fallen asleep all cuddled up together on their living room couch when they were eight years old.
Pics Lando probably couldn’t remember any more, pics he had already forgotten about their existence, pics he had never seen before or pics he wasn’t aware of Sacha had taken from him.
It were so many pics, but each he did connect with an unforgettable memory. Some were connected with a thought he he had at that moment, mostly it were thoughts like how damn good-looking Lando was again that day. Some memories were also connected with a song, they had used to hear at that time.
But most of his memories were connected with a certain beautiful smile and also with a unique giggle or laugher. Sacha adored Lando’s cheeky smiles, each of them were coming from deep inside his heart and his giggles and laughers were full of joy and life.
However he was feeling before, he was always in a good mood, even happy, when he saw and heard his friend like that. How often he had already wanted to taste that smile. To know how his lips did feel against his own. To taste his scent against his own skin. So often, Sacha had already stopped to count a long time ago.
But of all the pics the Argentine had saved on his Laptop, and most of them also on his phone, there still existed one favourite pic of his friend. They were about sixteen years old then and were swimming at his uncle’s lake that hot summer afternoon.
Lando was only in his swim shorts, but not because half of his so perfect formed body was naked, you could actually only see his head and shoulders on the pic, only Sacha knew about the details because he was the only other one present that day, was this one his all-time favourite picture of him.
Lando’s hair was still lightly wet, some of his sweet curls were hanging into face and he smiled that famous sunshine-smile into his camera, Sacha always told himself that he was the only one who got that smile from him. He could still feel the sun from that day on his skin, he could still hear the birds singing their songs in the treetops, he could still smell the summer in his nose and he could still tell how happy he was to spend that afternoon with his best friend together.
This picture Sacha has already edited so often, because he liked it so much, but nothing could beat the original one. It was simply perfect, the most beautiful moment in his life with the prettiest young man. He also had this one on his phone, looked at it almost every night before he fell asleep. Especially when Lando had a new girlfriend and he cried himself into sleep while looking at it.
This picture also always popped up whenever Lando was calling him, so Sacha even began to smile to himself, even before he heard his voice on the other end. Lando meant so much to him, more than the Brit even knew and it made him so sad that he won’t ever mean that much to him.
Somehow the tears had stopped to run all uncontrolled out of his eyes, his deep sobs had also stopped. Sacha only cradled himself back and forth any more now, not wanting to think about what will happen when he will go downstairs again.
He knew he had to, he couldn’t stay in his room for the rest of his life, even he wanted to do that so badly. Best he wanted to keep sitting right here and think about all the great memories he had shared with his best friend together.
“Are you still crying?” Sacha could hear Lando’s voice behind the door suddenly. Was he already sitting there the whole time long? Waiting for him to calm down and stop crying? Shocked the young Argentine didn’t know what to answer. Panic was flooding his body once again, while he tried to keep it together.
“I’m sorry if I have done something wrong. I really didn’t want to put my nose into stuff which aren’t my business, but.. You have to admit that I actually had kind of the right to look into the folder, when it already has my name.” Lando said through the door and even when Sacha was devastated, he still had to smile.
The young Brit could hear him doing so and also Sacha could hear him smile through the door now. “Please, Sash. Open the door. I’m really sorry.” Lando didn’t have to apologize for anything. It wasn’t his fault, he hadn’t done anything wrong. He was actually even right and had all reasons to be curious.
Sacha inhaled one more time deep inside his lungs, before he stretched his hand to unlock the door. On all four, he crawled over to his bed, leaned with his back against it, still sitting on the floor and waited for Lando to come inside.
The Brit waited some moments, till Sacha could watch the door buckle move and finally saw Lando kneeling in the door way. All concerned he looked at his best friend, even tilted his head, before Lando quickly crawled on all four next to side. He also leaned his back against the bed, a small distance was between the two of them.
They were sitting like that for a half eternity. All quiet and calm, till Lando carefully spoke up “Don’t you want to tell me why you have cried so badly?” The Brit eyed his friend’s expression close, while Sacha tried to keep it together and to not burst out on tears once again.
Why did he have to ask that? Why did Lando have to torture him? It was more than just obvious and if Sacha was serious he was too weak to say it out loud. Because he wasn’t able to give him an answer anyway, he looked away and tried to sniff his tears away.
“I mean, those pics are nice, great even. You don’t study photography because you are bored, but I still don’t get it why you have run away from me. I know it was wrong from me to just open the folder without your permission, but.. I just don’t get it.” Lando tried to explain, being a little helpless himself because he didn’t know why his best friend was already crying again.
“Stop it, Lando.” Sacha said suddenly out of nowhere. He wanted to sound strong, but his voice broke by his name. Even more confused than before, Lando was looking down at him. Either he really didn’t know what was going on, or he was making fun of him. With horror Sacha got it that it really was first, even when someone blind would have been able to see it.
“God, you are sometimes really a muppet, Lando.” Sacha told him and normally he would have started to laugh following, but he really didn’t feel that way right now. The Brit frowned hard and the Argentine could almost hear his brain cells work to get an answer, but it seemed like Sacha really had to say it out loud.
Silent tears were running down his cheeks, while he took all his courage together and finally told his best friend the truth “I like you, Lando. More than just a friend, more than a brother, more than I actually should do. Do you finally get it now?”
Shocked Lando was looking down at his friend, after he had finally got the meaning of his words. “You.. you mean you kind of.. love me?” He still had to ask the obvious. Because of his already shaking lower lip, Sacha wasn’t able to answer him anything any more, so he only nodded his head and felt very sick suddenly.
“Damn.” He could hear his best friend next to him. “Why have you never told me about it?” Sometimes Sacha hated Lando for asking such stupid questions. “What do you think I should have said? I couldn’t just go over to you and tell you my feelings for you.”
“But you should have.” Lando said in a disappointed voice. Great, now his best friend was angry at him and maybe also disgusted. “It would have saved myself many kisses and also some sex with girls I didn’t even like and I have only thought about you the whole time, while I was together with them.”
“Huh?” Sacha asked, when his heartbeat stopped and he didn’t know if he had just heard him right. “Who is the muppet of the two of us now?” Lando asked with a wide smirk on his lips. “You.. you want to tell me that you.. you also kind of love me?” The young Argentine still thought he was in his best dream ever, but his heart stopped to beat completely when the young man next to him nodded his head.
“Of course, I do.” Lando secured him like it was the most self-evident thing on the world. “You aren’t making fun of me? Because I think I would faint if you do.” Sacha still had to ask once more, even when he best already wanted to throw his arms around his best friend’s neck.
“I would never make fun of you, especially not now. And now come here, you Argentinean muppet.” Lando told him sincerely and already opened his arms for him to close the distance between the two of them.
Without thinking about it for one second, Sacha almost crashed into his arms and let himself get hold, while he cried out all the fear of his body. Lando was cradling him softly the whole time long, whispered sweet words into his hair and stroked over his shaking back.
After a half eternity, Sacha had somehow managed it to calm down again, before he asked his friend with tear tracks everywhere on his face “But why have you dated all these girls then?”
Lovingly Lando smiled down at him, while he whipped the still present tears away from his cute face “Because of the same reason like you. I was too afraid about to tell you my feelings for you. And I was also afraid about telling you I’m gay. I didn’t want to make things complicated between us. I was afraid about losing you.”
“Let us agree that we are both muppets.” Sacha suggested with finally a smile on his lips again. Lando giggled, the most beautiful sound in the Argentine’s ears, before he said in agreement “That sounds fair.”
They went silent, while Lando was stroking with the back of his fingers over Sacha’s still lightly wet cheeks and looked all lovingly down to him. “What do you think about the idea that I will help you with that chicken shorw.. chicken shuwar.. however. To help you with cooking our dinner?”
Sacha giggled about his friend’s clumsiness, while Lando pulled him up onto his feet. “It’s called chicken shawarma, you muppet.” The Argentine corrected him half-hearted, but his heart skipped a beat, when Lando didn’t let go of his hand, looked over at his shoulder back to him and said with a smirk “Yeah, but I’m your muppet now.”
Together they went on with cooking and like all the other evenings before they were eating dinner in front of the TV. They did fool around like always, acted like nothing life-changing had happened, till the dirty dishes were inside the dishwasher and they started a random film.
Sacha took all his courage together, when he took one of the fluffy blankets from the end of their couch, sat himself right next to Lando and wrapped it around both of their bodies. The Brit smiled all happily down at him, when Sacha beamed up at him like the happiest puppy on the whole wide world.
Carefully he cuddled himself against him, laid his head against his shoulder and something deep inside his belly did flutter, when Lando reached for his hand under the blanket to lace their fingers together and stroked all gently with his thumb over the back of his hand.
All peacefully they were watching the film like that, even when nether of them was actually following it. Their hearts were beating way too fast to listen to it and their thoughts were only by each other and how great it felt to have each other so close.
It was Lando, who stopped the silence between the two of them first, when he asked “I still don’t know why you have all these pictures of me on your laptop.” Sacha rolled his eyes in unbelief. By now he actually thought Lando really had fun to bring him into uncomfortable situations or he liked to hear it from his own lips to get the permission that his thoughts were right.
“Because you are fucking beautiful and I couldn’t bring it over my heart to delete just one of these pictures, that’s why.” Sacha admitted and couldn’t stop his own cheeks to blush badly. “That’s pretty cute form you, but it was also pretty dumb from you to have that folder on your desktop and even name it after me, you know?”
Playfully Sacha boxed into his rips, only causing Lando so to wrap his arms around him and pull him even tighter against his body. “Oh really, without your help I would have never figured that out.” Sacha said all sarcastic and earned a giggle from his best friend for it.
“And do you maybe even have a favourite pic of me? Or couldn’t you chose under the thousands of good-looking pics you have from me?” Lando asked all noisy and cheeky, before Sacha rolled his eyes and told him inviting “Just call me.”
First a little confused, because even when Lando was so damn pretty he was still a muppet in the end of the day, he looked down at him, before he got it, reached for his phone and called his number.
Sacha had also already reached for his own phone and showed Lando the still dark display, till it brightened up by his call and this one pic from his sixteen-year-old-self by the lake showed up.
“That’s your favourite pic of me? I actually look stupid in this one.” Lando asked a little shocked, while he eyed himself closer at the display. “No, you look so beautiful here. You weren’t expecting me to take a picture of you, the light of the sunset was perfect and that smile on your lips still takes my breath away.”
Sacha worshipped the picture with a warm smile on his lips, while he also looked at it. Only after moments he had got it that Lando was eyeing him with the same smile. When their eyes met, their smiles only grew even brighter and they lost each other in their eyes.
“I still remember that afternoon. It was such a great, hot summer day. We had so much fun by your uncle’s lake. Later we have grilled some sausages by the campfire, do you still remember about that?” Lando wanted to know from him, while he had got all excited.
“Every second.” Sacha answered, with tears in his eyes thinking about this memory, wishing to be back at that moment. Lando looked surprised suddenly, tilted his head and his voice did almost break, when he squeaked “This song, I also remember it.”
The Brit meant the ringtone, Sacha only had when he was calling him. “We have listened to it that whole summer long.” Lando said all excited and his smile grew even bigger. “I know. I only have it when you are calling me, so I remember about that summer and especially that day with you every time.”
Now also tears were glistening in Lando’s eyes, while they beamed at each other. Out of nowhere Lando was taking his hand suddenly and he took him with him, when he ran over to their Bluetooth speaker, connected it with his phone and soon the song of their lives was playing loudly.
Together they were dancing around the room, were hitting all the wrong tones, while they were singing along to it. When the song got quieter in the end, finally stopped completely just to start from new again, Sacha suddenly found himself in Lando’s arms again. Being as close as never before.
His heart stopped to beat once again, when Lando cupped his face between his palms, looked him deep into his eyes. All slowly he closed the distance between the two of them, till his lips carefully met his and he kissed him all gently and with so many feelings that it brought tears into Sacha’s eyes.
Relieved and full of happiness, Lando leaned his forehead against his boyfriend, giving him one of his cute, cheeky smiles he adored so much and really only he got from him. “I love you, Sash.” Lando whispered so close against his skin.
“I love you too, Lando.” Sacha whispered in response, before he moved the tip of his nose over Lando’s and caused them both so to giggle happily. And something was telling him that the saved pictures in the folder on his laptop won’t get less in the next time.